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CONRAD MURRAY felt "entrapped" by MICHAEL JACKSON after agreeing to take him on as a patient, and insists the star frequently "begged" him for drugs.
The medic, who was convicted earlier this week (beg07Nov11) of accidentally killing Jackson with anaesthetic propofol, is adamant he did not suggest the Thriller icon should take the drug to help him sleep.
But he claims Jackson was an addict who "begged and pleaded" for strong medication.
Murray spoke to a film crew for new documentary Michael Jackson and the Doctor: A Fatal Friendship, which began filming in November 2009 - five months after Jackson’s death - and is due to air in the U.S. on Friday (11Nov11).
He says, "I went there to take care of a healthy man, who said he was fine, to just keep surveillance. But once I got in there I was entrapped. He had very close acquaintances, but friends he did not have. He told me, ‘I’ve found one friend, which is you’." Speaking about Jackson’s use of propofol - which the star referred to as "milk" - the doctor adds, "He begged and pleaded and said, ‘Please Dr. Conrad, I need some milk so that I can get some sleep. If I don’t get some sleep, everything will go down the drain.’ "He looked to me like (his image in) the Thriller (film). He looked that hysterical… I did not recommend it. I would never have recommended propofol to Mr. Jackson. He needed to get rid of it and resume a more normal state of sleep." The documentary - which aired in the U.K. on Thursday (10Nov11) under the alternative title The Man Who Killed Michael Jackson - also contains a scene in which Jackson’s lawyers, Ed Chernoff and Michael Flanagan, are heard discussing the star’s notorious eccentric behaviour.
Chernoff says, "I think the media made him appear weirder than he is", prompting Flanagan to reply: "You gotta be kidding me - he can’t be any weirder than he is."

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RIHANNA’s manager has defended the singer’s fast album release cycle, insisting pop stars "become disposable" if they wait several years between records.
The Umbrella hitmaker, who has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and has released six records since 2005, is constantly recording new material and often lays down her vocals in a mobile studio while on tour.
She is currently preparing to unveil her latest offering Talk That Talk later this month (Nov11) and Rihanna’s longtime manager Jay Brown is adamant the fast turnaround is good for her career.
He tells the BBC, "Kids want new material all the time. I think you become disposable when you put out an album every three years. It’s not like we force her. She goes into the studio because she likes it."

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JODIE FOSTER’s father has been charged with 17 counts of grand theft over his alleged part in a property scam.
Lucius Fisher Foster III, who is estranged from his famous daughter, allegedly offered to build 20 homes in California and took deposits from prospective buyers, but the construction work was never carried out.
The 89 year old is accused of cheating his investors out of more than $100,000 (£62,500) and is facing 17 counts of grand theft and seven of contracting without a licence.
Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek says, "(He) told at least half the victims that he is Jodie’s father as part of the scam to build up trust… no house was ever built." Foster, who is free on his own recognisance, denies the charges and a pretrial hearing has been set for 17 November (11), according to the Associated Press.

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British singer CHERYL COLE is planning a second trip to see soldiers in Afghanistan following her morale-boosting visit in September (11).
The Girls Aloud star jetted to the war-torn region to visit British troops posted in the country’s Helmand Province and during her stay, she dished out meals to the servicemen and women and handled a gun in a training exercise.
The singer revealed she had become smitten with a "gorgeous" corporal named Andy she met during the four-day trip - and she’s hoping to see him again on a return to Afghanistan.
She tells Britain’s Daily Star, "Yes of course (I’ll go back). I haven’t set a date yet, but I will definitely be going back out to Afghanistan to see Andy."

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Rocker GENE SIMMONS shared the secrets of his success with students in London on Thursday night (10Nov11) at a surprise economics lecture.
The Kiss singer held a special workshop, entitled Dream Big with Gene Simmons, at the prestigious London Business School and he handed out commerce tips and advice.
Simmons has also written a column for Britain’s The Sun, addressing the current global economic crisis - and the star reveals how he would fix the problems.
He writes, "The mess is our fault - corporations have no responsibility. Capitalism is the best thing that ever happened to human beings. The welfare state sounds wonderful but it doesn’t work. Governments hand out more money than they have to support welfare and they land in debt. Then they have to borrow money… that’s bad business.
"When I was growing up, my mother went to work. There was no welfare. If you worked, you made money. If you didn’t work, you had to figure it out - you’d go and wash dishes."

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WESTLIFE decided to split after their plan to leave SIMON COWELL’s record label failed to repair the "cracks" in the band.
The Flying Without Wings hitmakers have announced they are to hang up their mics in 2012 following a greatest hits tour, after 14 years together.
They have insisted the split will be for good and that the move is not a publicity stunt, revealing they turned down millions to carry on.
Now Nicky Byrne admits the singers knew they had to go their separate ways after leaving Cowell’s Syco imprint earlier this year (11), as the move did not improve relations within the band as they had hoped.
He tells Britain’s Daily Record, "The cracks had formed and we were trying to patch things up when we left Syco, rather than quitting. We thought we would try and change everything to see if things improved and it wasn’t to be.
"It wasn’t one thing just a gradual progression. The amount of pressure to constantly do it at the right level was huge.
"There have been cracks internally for quite a while. Because we were releasing a greatest hits this year and re-negotiating our contract, it felt the right time.
"This was the moment where we manned up and said, ‘We’ve done what we can with Westlife.’" And the pop star reveals their manager, The X Factor judge Louis Walsh, has been left heartbroken by their decision: "He thought the idea of the split would go away when we told him. He finds it hard to talk about it.
"He hopes it’ll be a long break but we’ve had to keep enforcing it to him, it’s not. He’s devastated."

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN raised $160,000 (£100,000) for wounded soldiers by auctioning off his guitar, shirt and harmonica at a charity show in New York on Thursday (09Nov11).
The Boss performed at the Stand Up for Heroes gig at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre alongside comics including British funnyman Ricky Gervais, Kathy Griffin and Jon Stewart to raise money for charities which aid military families.
Springsteen helped raise even more cash on the night by offering up his belongings to the highest bidder, who subsequently donated the guitar to war veteran Andrew Kinard, who lost both his legs in Iraq, according to Rolling Stone.
The event raised nearly $400,000 (£250,000) in addition to ticket sales for the Bob Woodruff Foundation and ReMIND.org.

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KISS frontman PAUL STANLEY has put his recent voice troubles down to singing "through sheer willpower" to "cram in" as many shows as possible.
The singer underwent surgery on his vocal cords last month (Oct11) for a recurrent problem with his throat which left his voice "cracking".
The 59-year-old rocker admits 40 years of performing with Kiss left him struggling to sing, and he worked his voice too hard as the band attempted to fit in as many concerts as possible.
He tells the Hollywood Reporter, "(I was singing) through sheer willpower… (to) cram in as many shows as possible to maximise profit… The nature of rock singing is a strain on the voice and when you compound that with that amount of shows, you’re not giving yourself time to recuperate and the problem is compounded… I was finding myself working harder and harder to do what was once effortless, and having already passed through puberty, I was surprised to hear my voice cracking." Stanley is also convinced many stars ruin their vocal cords by partying too hard, adding, "If you’re going to mix alcohol, cigarettes and drugs with singing, you’ve got a combustible combination that can only get you in trouble.
"When I was starring in Phantom of the Opera, I found I couldn’t drink a glass of wine the night before because it affected my vocal cords the next night, so people who are staying up till all hours, snorting this, smoking that and drinking the other, turn over the sand timer and when the sand runs out, your number comes up."

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NICK CANNON has assured fans a stunt showing a pet dog in the skies above New York City was a prank, after angry animal rights activists took aim at him.
Mariah Carey’s husband detailed the joke on his 92.3 Now FM morning radio show on Thursday (10Nov11), claiming the incident had gone awry because the pooch, named Charlie Roo and belonging to his co-host Sarah Lee Owensby, had since gone missing.
Video footage posted on the radio station’s website appeared to show a small dog attached to balloons, floating up into the clouds before disappearing from view - and campaigners at People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) lashed out at Cannon.
PETA President Ingrid Newkirk raged, "If bad taste were a crime, we’d be going to jail with Nick, but joking about killing a dog, a kid, an old person - anyone - isn’t cool when there’s always the danger that some numbskull will do it for real." But Cannon has played down the stunt, insisting he "really loves dogs" - and revealing the prank involved a stuffed animal, not a real pooch.
In a video shot prior to the incident, he says, "I won a bet with Sarah Lee, and I’m about to play the meanest joke on her ever. This whole time I’ve been acting like I don’t like dogs, but I really love dogs. I’m a dog person… But I’m pretending that I want to float Charlie Roo with balloons! "I’m not really gonna float a dog. I’m gonna float a stuffed animal that looks just like Charlie Roo."

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Actress KRISTIN CHENOWETH skipped filming on her upcoming show GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES on Thursday (10Nov11) to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
The screen star made her name on Broadway and has more recently been showing off her singing skills with a recurring role on hit U.S. series Glee - and now officials in her native Oklahoma have handed her the state’s top musical honour.
Chenoweth beamed with pride as she picked up her prize at a ceremony in Muskogee, and later spoke of her delight at landing the accolade.
She says, "I was inducted last year into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, but when the Music Hall of Fame said they wanted to induct me… there was no decision for me. I had to get it in my contract to come here. I was like, you all are going to see me, I’m coming.
"Singing has been the greatest love of my life. It is definitely an extension of my soul and something that God saw fit to give me." In a post on her Twitter.com page, she adds, "Thank you everyone who came to Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame! Wonderful honor and fun night." Other honourees included late composer Ralph Blane and The Ventures star Nokie Edwards.

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Scottish actor JAMES MCAVOY has opened up about becoming a first-time father, insisting parenthood has made him "more practical".
The Atonement star and his actress wife Anne-Marie Duff welcomed baby Brendan last year (10), but remained tight-lipped about their new addition in a bid to keep him out of the spotlight.
Duff recently spoke more candidly about her son, revealing, "He’s just gorgeous… I do feel my life’s completely expanded since he arrived" - and now McAvoy has addressed how fatherhood has changed him.
He tells London’s Evening Standard newspaper, "I’ve become much more practical. And more efficient. But your world narrows, and the things you devote your new-found efficiency to are less. There are less things that you give a s**t about."

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THE BAND PERRY were the first big winners at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday night (09Nov11) as the trio collected its first CMA trophy.
The group kicked off the prizegiving by collecting the Single of the Year award for the hit If I Die Young.
Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins opened the show at the Bridgestone Arena with a high-energy rendition of the theme from the movie Footloose.
Loggins wrote the track for the hit 1984 film and Shelton covered it for the 2011 remake.
Co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood then poked fun at disgraced country star Hank Williams, Jr., who recently found himself in troubled for likening U.S. President Barack Obama to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The duo sang, "Hank, Why do You Drink? Why do you smoke/Football ain’t the same without that song that you wrote." Williams, Jr.’s remark on a breakfast news show cost him his opening theme to U.S. sports show Monday Night Football.
The grizzled country star then made a brief appearance on the arena stage, prompting Paisley to yell, "We love Hank, Jr." The singers then played with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw Barbie dolls and turned their backs on the audience to see if the miniatures were "anatomically correct".
As McGraw and Hill were spotted chuckling in the audience, Paisley looked at McGraw’s doll and quipped, "There’s nothing there! Poor Faith."

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Pregnant JESSICA SIMPSON has developed a bizarre craving for salty cantaloupe melons.
The singer/actress is expecting her first child with fiance Eric Johnson and she reveals her tastebuds have been turned upside down in recent months.
She can no longer eat pizza because it "tastes sour" and she only ever wants to eat one particular fruit.
She tells People.com, "I crave cantaloupe like a crazy person. But I put salt all over it, so I don’t know if it’s that healthy. I crave anything salty and sweet. That mixture to me is so good. I can eat a whole cantaloupe in one morning." Simpson isn’t the only star who craved melon while pregnant - Jessica Alba gobbled chunks of watermelon while she was expecting baby Haven.

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Actor MORGAN FREEMAN is to be honoured for his lifetime of career achievements at next year’s (12) Golden Globe Awards.
The Million Dollar Baby star is to be the 2012 recipient of the coveted Cecil B. DeMille Award at the prestigious ceremony in January.
Past recipients include Robert De Niro, Freeman’s The Bucket List co-star Jack Nicholson and his friend and collaborator Clint Eastwood.
The honour will cap a tremendous 12 months for Freeman - he was gifted with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in June (11).

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The executors of MICHAEL JACKSON’s estate are "disgusted" by U.S. TV bosses’ "irresponsible" decision to air a revealing documentary about DR. CONRAD MURRAY just four days after the physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Murray was placed in custody on Monday (07Nov11), immediately after a Los Angeles jury found him guilty of administering the fatal dose of anaesthetic propofol that cost the King of Pop his life in 2009.
The medic did not testify in the six-week case, but he is set to share his side of the story in the upcoming documentary Michael Jackson and the Doctor.
The show, which features footage from indepth interviews with Murray filmed in 2009 - shortly after Jackson’s death, is due to air on American TV news network MSNBC on Friday (11Nov11) - but the bosses of Jackson’s estate won’t be watching.
A statement issued by the estate reads: "Like so many of Michael’s fans, the Estate is also disgusted by MSNBC’s irresponsible and inexplicable decision to air a Conrad Murray ‘documentary’.
"The Co-Executors, John Branca and John McClain, are sending a letter to the top executives at Comcast, NBC Universal and MSNBC to express their disdain for their actions."

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MADONNA’s manager GUY OSEARY has appealed to fans online to help track down the person responsible for leaking one of the pop superstar’s new songs, because the singer is "upset" about the unauthorised release.
A demo version of uptempo track Give Me All Your Love surfaced online on Tuesday (08Nov11) and although Oseary insists he is glad to hear fans’ positive reactions to the song, he and Madonna are keen to find out who is behind the leak.
And he’s asking his Twitter.com followers to help "police" the internet for any other illegal Madonna material that may have been bootlegged.
In a series of tweets, he writes, "The plan was for new music to come out in the new year… and yet someone leaked a demo version of a song yesterday… I’m very happy with the positive reaction to the demo, but we are very upset with whoever leaked the song!!!!!!!! "We are asking that the fans please help us police any more leaks… we have a lot in store for you.. but please respect the process.. madonna told me this morning ‘my true fans wouldn’t do this’… whoever is responsible for this leak, we ask that you please stop!.. she is only upset with whoever leaked the music.. we would love to know who that is.." The finished version of Give Me All Your Love is expected to feature rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. and Madonna’s 12th studio album is due to be released next year (12).

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Rocker LIAM GALLAGHER has taken aim at celebrities who post trivial details of their life on Twitter.com, insisting they should be "shot".
The Beady Eye star has an account on the microblogging website but rarely uses it, revealing he only posts an update when "something needs to be cleared up".
And he’s slammed stars who use Twitter to tell fans their most intimate or trivial moments, insisting he despises the website.
Gallagher tells NME magazine, "I hate f**king tweeting, it’s for d**ks. I only do it when something needs to be cleared up. I hate it. It’s rubbish… About all that, though, talking about your lunch, it’s like, come on… people need to be lined up and f**king shot, man, people who do that. It’s like, close the door behind ‘em, mate. Who gives a f**k, man?"

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Pop star KE$HA was so inspired by the wildlife she saw on a recent trip to Africa, she’s planning to make a show about endangered species.
The singer, a passionate campaigner for animal rights, wants to increase awareness about the creatures currently facing extinction by producing an educational documentary for fans.
She tells Just Jared, "I just got back from Africa two weeks ago. I had the best time with one of my girlfriends. And now we’re putting together an entire series and documentary about endangered species." The TiK ToK hitmaker was recently named the first global ambassador for the Humane Society International.

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